Time-switch mechanism.



No. 705,99l. Patented July 29, 1902.

e ZAEPFEL TIME SWITCH MECHANISM.

(Application filed Ocfi. 24, 1901.)

2 sheetssheet I.

(No Model.)

[NVENTO/Q WITNES .51- 7/ Z 0 m on 2 I u I. d e n e t a P L E F P E A Z GM 9 5 0 7 0 N TIME SWITCH MECHANISM.

(Applicution fil'ed Oct. 24. 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

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JNVJENTOR A170 may UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ZAEPFEL,-OF OROGIIAN, NElV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE\V. HENDERSON, OF CROGHAN, NElV YORK.

TIME-SWITCH MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 70 5,991, dated July 29,1902.

Application filed October 24:, 1901. Serial No. 79,846. (No model.)

To wZZ wh m i m y r rotating until the trip is free from the pin ao-Beitknownthatl, GEORGE ZAEPFEL,acitituating same. Fig. 8 is aperspective VlOW zen of the United States, residing at Oroghan, of thecrank and end of switch arm or lever, in the county of Lewis and Stateof New York, and Fig. 9 is a detail view of the ratchet-pawl 5 haveinvented certain new and useful Imon the momentum-wheel.

provements in Time-Switch-Operating Mech- Reference being had to thedetails of the anism; and Ido declare the following to be a drawings byletter, A designates the frame of full, clear, and exact description ofthe in, an ordinary clockwork mechanism, to which, Vention, such as willenable others skilled-in however, are added wheels that will reduce tothe art to which it appertains to make and the revolution from one oftwelve hours to use the same, reference being had to the acone oftwenty-four hours, and geared to the companying drawings, and to theletters of wheels of the clock mechanism is a settingreference markedthereon, which form a part wheel B, having gear connection with a pinofthis specification. ion-Wheel B, which rotates with the shaft 15 Thisinvention relates to new and useful carrying the hour and minute handsof the improvements in automatic means for throwclockwork. To said wheelB is attached a fixed ing switches for turning on and shutting offpin 1) and an adjustable pin 6, which latter electric lights, the; andit consists in the pi'omay be held at different positions within thevision of a crank connected to the switch-lecurved slot b in the wheelB, and each of said 2o ver and actuated bya clockwork mechanism, pins isdesigned to make a complete revoluwhereby at any time the lights may beturned tion once in twenty-four hours. Intel-posed on or off. in thepath of said pins is a trip-arm O, which The invention consists,further, in the Vais mounted on and turns with the shaft 1), riousdetails of construction, combination, and fastened to said shaft is alocking-arm 7 5 z 5 and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinaf- E, thefree hooked end E of which is disposed ter more fully described and thenspecificin the path of the pins F, which are secured ally defined in theappended claims and illusto the face of the stop-wheel G, there beingtrated in the accompanying drawings, which, shown two of these pinsdiametrically opposite with the letters of reference marked thereon,each other and adapted to allow the stop- 30 form a part of thisapplication, and in which wheel to make a one-half revolution each timedrawings similar letters of reference indicate the lock-arm E is raisedout of the path of said like parts throughout the several Views, inpins. The wheel G, before referred to as the whichstop-wheel, has gearedconnection with the Figure 1 is a side elevation of theclockspring-actuated wheel H of the striking-work 3 5 Work mechanism,showing the switch-lever of the clock mechanism, which spring-actupivoted to a crank and the trip mechanism ated wheel His wound by a keyin the usual for allowing the crank to be turned under the manner. Onthe shaft G, on which the wheel influence of a spring. Fig. 2 is an endele- Gismounted, is fastened the crank I, to which vation of themechanism illustrated in Fig. 1. is pivotally secured one end of theswitch-le- 40 Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of verJ,which is adapted duringaone-half revo- Fig. 5. Fig. i is also asectional viewin the lution thereof to turn on an electric-light sameplane as Fig. 3, but showing different mechanism or actuate other means,while a positions of certain operative parts of the movement of thecrank to complete the revomechanism. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the'lution will turn off the lights or operate any 5 45 mechanism. Fig. 6is a detail in perspective other kind of switch means.

of the trip mechanism for allowing the spring On a shaft K, which'isjournaled in the to act to rotate the crank to which theswitchframework, is a pinion K, which is in gear arm is pivoted. Fig. 7is a detail View in perwith the teeth on the circumference of wheelspective of an arresting-arm which cooper- G. Also keyed to the shaft Kis a ratchet- 50 ates with a lug on the shaft carrying the tripwheel L,that is engaged by a pawl M, which arm to prevent the momentum-wheelfrom is pivotally mounted on the face of the momentum-wheel N, looselyjournaled on shaft K. A spring M serves to hold the free end of saidpawl in engagement with the teeth of said ratchet-wheel. It will beobserved that the momentum-wheel N, which is made, preferably, of aheavy metal, as lead, and solid, moves with the shaft K in onedirection, but rotates independent of the shaft in the oppositedirection, the pawl turning over the ratchet-wheel. The office of saidmomentumwheel, it will be observed, is to allow the wheel G, whichthrough its shaft actuates the leverthrowing arm, to start gradually, itfirst having to start the momentum-wheel. \Vhen the lever E isdisengaged from the teeth of said wheel G to allow the momentum-wheel toslow down to gradually lower the rapid rotary movement after it has doneits work and in order not to rack the parts of the mechanism, saidmomentum-wheel continues to retate independently of the shaft on whichit is mounted by the pawl turning idly over the teeth of theratchet-wheel. Said shaft K has an arm P secured at one end thereto, andQ designates a lug on the shaft D, which lug is disposed in one of itspositions in the path of the free end of the arm P to form a stopagainst which the arm P contacts while the trip-arm C is being actuatedby one or the other of the pins 1) or Z). When the arm (3 has been swunga slight distance by one of said pins, the free end of the lock-arm Ewill free the pin F on the wheel G and allow the shaft G G, also theshaft K, geared thereto, to make partial revolutions. lVhen the end ofthe arm P comes in contact with the end of said lug, the rotary movementof shaft K is arrested, also the movement of the shaft G. This arrestingof the rotary movement of said shafts K and G is but for a moment,however, and that during the interval that it requires for the pin onthe graduated wheel to pass by the end of the trip-lever. The moment thepin, eitherb or 1), passes by the end of the triplever the lug Q swingsup out of the path of the arm P, thus allowing the shaft G and the cranksecured thereto to complete a one-half revolution. Vere it not for theprovision of the lug and arm contacting against same, as described, theend of the lock-arm would be free from the pins F for a sufficientinterval to allow the wheel G to make a number of revolutions while thepin 19 or pin 1) was passing by the free end of the trip-arm, as thismight require several minutes. The moment the free end of the trip-armis released by one or the otherof the pins on the graduated wheel 13 thelug Q clears the end of the arm P, allowing the shaft K to make a onehalf revolution, as before described, and a spring may be employed, ifdesired, to assist in returning the free end of the lock arm or lever inthe path of the pins Fto form a stop therefor. While the shaft K isbeing rotated by its gear connection with the wheel Gunder the influenceof the spring-motor its revolutions become very fast, and as the rotarymovement of the wheel G is stopped, aftera one-half revolution thereof,quite abruptly the momentum of the weighter or solid wheel N continuesafter wheel G has stopped. lVere it not for the provision of thismomentum-wheel being allowed to stop gradually the various parts of themechanism would become damaged, as by a sudden stop of so heavy a wheelrotating rapidly.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. Thesetting-wheel B is first set by moving the adjustable pin b to aparticular location, so that at a given moment it will come in contactwith the trip-lever to actuate the switch-lever to turn on the electriclights or whatever other mechanism is to be actuated thereby, and thefixed pin is so positioned relative to the position of the adjustablepin that when the setting-wheel 13 makes a sufficient revolution tocause the fixed pin to contact with the trip-arm the latter will beswung out of the path of the pin and a complete rotary movement will beimparted to the crank to which the switch-lcver is connected, and theelectric-light system may be turned off or any other mechanism stoppedby the movement of the switch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is"

1. A clock mechanism for actuating electrical switches, &c., comprisinga series of spring-actuated gear-wheels,acranlz: actuated by saidwheels, a switch-lever pivoted to said arm, a setting-wheel in mesh witha clockwork, pins mounted on said setting-wheel, a trip-arm disposed inthe path of said pins, a look-lever normally holding said gear mechanismfrom rotation, and actuated by the triplever, a momentum-wheel, turningwith the spring-actuated wheel in one direction, and designed to turnidly after the switch-lever is operated, as set forth.

2. A clock mechanism for actuating switehlevers,&c.,com prisin g aspring-actuated gear, a crank operated thereby, a lever pivoted to saidcrank, a setting gear-wheel and clock mechanism for operating same, pinson said wheel, a trip-arm disposed in the path of said pins, a momentumwheel actuated as the crank is given a one-half rotation, and allowed toturn idly after the crank has been arrested, and means, actuated by saidtriparm, to allow the gear mechanism to operate, as set forth.

3. In combination with the spring-actuated gear mechanism, a stop-wheelactuated there by, a crank actuated by the gear mechanism, pins on theface of said stop-wheel, a shaft geared to said stop-wheel, a momentum-wheel turning idly in one direction on said shaft after the switchis thrown, a settingavheel and clockwork geared thereto, a trip-leverand pins on the setting-wheel for actuating said lever, and means,operated by the triplever, for allowing the stop-wheel to rotate and forarresting same, as set forth.

4. In combination with a spring-actuated gear, a stop-wheel in meshtherewith, pins on said wheel, a setting-wheel and clock mechanism foractuating same, pins on said setting-wheel, a trip-lever, and rook-shaftto which it is fastened, said lever being disposed in the path of saidpins on the setting-wheel, a lock-lever secured at one end to said rockshaft, its other end disposed in the path of the pins on saidstop-wheel, a shaft geared to the stop-wheel, a ratchet secured thereto,a momentum-wheel, a pawl carried by the latter and having engagementwith said ratchet, said momentum-Wheel having a free rotary movement inone direction independent of the ratchet, and allowed to stop graduallyafter being rotated by the pawl and ratchet, and after the stop-Wheelhas ceased to rotate, as set forth,

5. In combination with the spring-actuated gear, the stop wheel, thepins thereon, the momentum-*wheel and shaft carrying same, the ratcheton said shaft, and pawl carried by said wheel and engaging said ratchet,the setting-wheel, and clockwork mechanism for actuating same, thetrip-arm and shaft to which it is secured, a lock-lever fastened to saidtrip arm-carrying shaft, and engaging the pins of the stop-Wheel, a lugon the shaft to which the lock-lever is fastened,,and an arm on themomentum-wheel shaft adapted to contact with said lug which forms a stopto prevent the rotation of the stop-Wheel un-,

til the pin on the graduated wheel has passed by the free end of saidtrip-arm, as set forth.

(3. In combination with the spring-actuated gear mechanism, thestop-wheel, and shaft on which it is mounted, a crank on said shaft, andswitch-lever pivoted to said crank, pins on the face of the stop-Wheel,a shaft geared to said stop-wheel, a momentum-wheel on said shaft, asetting-Wheel, and clockwork mech anism geared thereto, saidsetting-wheel having an elongated aperture therein, an adj ust able pinheld in said aperture, a fixed pin on the face of the setting-wheel, arock-shaft, a trip-arm secured thereto, and disposed in the path of saidadjustable and fixed pins, a lock lever secured to the rock-shaft andengaging the pins on the stop-wheel, a stop on said rock-shaft, and anarm, on the momentum= wheel shaft, which is designed to contact withsaid stop, as set forth,.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

GEORGE ZAEPFIJL,

Witnesses:

EDWARD H. RADteAN, LOUISE WENTWORTIL

